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SOCOM: US Navy Seals
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs is a video game classified as a tactical third-person shooter developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is an exclusive title for the PlayStation 2. SOCOM was released on August 27, 2002, and is one of the earliest online titles available for the PS2's online adapter. In addition to the 12 offline single player missions, SOCOM also features online play via the internet at no additional charge to the customer. SOCOM additionally uses a USB headset for its speech recognition commands offline, and allows voice chat with teammates when playing online; this was the first game for the PS2 to use the headset. Game overview SOCOM takes its name from the abbreviation for the United States Special Operations Command. The player leads a four-man team (three AI-controlled teammates) of U.S. Navy SEALs through 12 missions in 4 regions: Alaska, Thailand, Congo, and Turkmenistan. In the single player missions, voice commands can be administered to the three AI-controlled teammates using the WHO, WHAT, and WHERE format (example: Bravo, Attack, Nav Point Zulu). Commands can be spoken using the included USB headset or via an onscreen menu if the optional SOCOM headset was not purchased. Typical missions consist of; eradicating terrorists, rescuing hostages, retrieving intel, or destroying terrorist bases. Before each mission the player chooses a primary and secondary weapon from an armory consisting of many real-world weapons including the M4A1 and AK-47 assault rifles, MP-5 sub-machine gun as well as the M82 sniper rifle. A wide variety of handguns, grenades, and other explosive devices are also featured. Weapons are unique to each side, with the Seals choosing from weapons that usually have the advantage of being silenced (M4A1-SD) and generally more accurate. The Terrorist team is supplied with counterparts to the SEALs weapons (AKS-74), and even have a fully automatic handgun Model 18. Player reaction Although commanding squad mates via voice was a novel idea, the artificial intelligence for them was sometimes criticized, leading to mixed reviews by gamers. In the player community for instance, the squad mate Boomer is known for particularly poorer AI than the other teammates, which was eventually satirized in SOCOM: Combined Assault by killing off his character. Some players felt that it was easier to play without the teammates. Another complaint is that squad members sometimes get stuck in walls, a problem that the sequels have also been criticized of having. Online play was well received by many, and the primary reason for purchasing SOCOM for some. Unfortunately within months of the game's release, online play became plagued with cheating by players using cheat devices like the GameShark or Codebreaker. To date, cheating still remains a significant problem online, even the player ranking leader board is vandalized on a daily basis by cheaters exploiting a flaw that allows them to change the leader board without having to "earn" their way to the top. In fact, cheating was such an issue that many SOCOM players left to play other games. Online gameplay Online players choose one of two sides: SEALs or terrorists. Maps consist of three types: suppression (eliminate all members of the opposite team), extraction (rescue hostages) and demolition (capture a satchel and destroy the opposite team's base). This is the only SOCOM that does not support LAN play (local multiplayer). In addition to the specific game type, any of the three game modes may be won by eliminating all members of the opposing team. Two versions of the SOCOM disc exist: the original disc, and the greatest hits disc. Until 2006, the two versions of the disc were not compatible with each other, and online play was divided into separate groups. The greatest hits disc was an attempt to stop online cheating, but since then a server update has merged the two discs into one server. Online cheating, or glitching, has once again become a nuisance to most players. SEALS in SOCOM US NAVY SEALs Kahuna BOOMER SPECTER JESTER SOCOM Franchise SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs released 2003, included four additional operations and 10 multiplayer maps. SOCOM 3: US Navy Seals released 2005, included solely original maps, updated SOCOM II maps were released in June 2006 for download and purchasehttp://www.us.playstation.com/PressReleases.aspx?id=326. SOCOM: Combined Assault released 2006, for the Sony PlayStation 2. External links * Socom World - Socom French Site * [http://www.socom-game.com/ SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALS Official website] * [http://www.mobygames.com/game/socom-us-navy-seals SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALS at MobyGames] * SOCOM Navy SEALs games summary information Category:PlayStation 2 games Category:Games